Change colors and flash signals to virtually any combination. A noticeability factor for all attention-seekers everywhere!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

THE SCIENCE BEHIND 3FU3L

To perform your best in training or competition, and to recover afterwards, you need to be properly fueled. That means taking care of the ways and means in which your body produces the energy you need to compete at the highest level. As both athletes and coaches – and formulators of this product – we know this, and we created it for exactly this purpose.

Because we compete in all kinds of sports (remember, everyone who formulated 3FU3L isn’t just a coach, but a competitive athlete), we wanted a product that would fuel all kinds of events, over the most extensive range of duration and intensity. This is more difficult than it seems, because over different times and intensities, the body constantly shifts from the use of one fuel source to another.

For short bursts of power, your body depletes its phosphocreatine supply to generate Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), and contract your muscles as rapidly as possible. Your body can’t move without ATP being used – it’s the “product” your body purchases with metabolic “currency”. Four minutes after a maximal contraction, your body finally replenishes your phosphocreatine, and you’re ready for another maximal contraction.

But if you do multiple efforts at maximal intensity, and you’re not waiting four minutes, your body begins to migrate from the phosphagenic pathway towards the glycolytic pathway. At this point, glucose (blood sugar) is used to generate ATP. Soon afterwards, at about the 3-4 minute mark, your body begins to rely on protein, fat, and carbohydrates to continue paying for ATP. And while your muscles are busy converting your fuel into energy, they’re also producing waste products, like lactic acid, and causing you to sweat, losing methyl donors like Betaine, that are used to help create more ATP. It begins a vicious cycle, causing you to hit the dreaded “wall” – where your body goes into shutdown mode.

Carbohydrates are the most easily use macronutrient, in terms of generating enough ATP. But they only go so far. Even carb-loaded marathoners will hit the wall at about the 20 mile mark – which is less than two hours into their run. At that point, ATP depletion is so severe, that performance suffers dramatically. But consider a Strongman who competes all day, or a MMA fighter at a tournament, or a Crossfit Games athlete who has an entire weekend to get through…they’re getting themselves into a similar situation without even knowing it.

Running a Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, or Warrior’s Dash? You better have the right fuel in your body, because you can’t double fist energy drinks while you’re climbing a wall or jumping in a mud pit.

THE SOLUTION…

What’s the solution? After half an hour, triglycerides (fats) begin to contribute almost as much (~50%) as carbohydrates to the body’s energy production, and after another hour, protein begins to make a substantial contribution as well (up to 15%). So if you’re relying on the wrong ratios of macronutrients, or not using the right micronutrients, you’re not going to be producing enough energy to maintain optimal performance. Think about it – if your body is relying on nearly 50% fat to sustain its efforts, why are you only drinking carbs during your training or competition? And if you’re going to burn protein, why isn’t your preworkout (or intraworkout) drink supplying you with any?Most dietary supplements that rely on all three macronutrients will try to use a blend of fast acting carbs for a quick boost in blood sugar (*which is why you crash) and a fat to slow it down (*adding fats to a food reduces the glycemic index). We took the opposite approach – our fat is from coconut milk, mainly composed of medium chain fatty acids – which unlike regular fat, is a readily available source of energy. Our protein is high-quality, grass-fed, whey protein hydrolysate – an insulogenic protein that elevates blood sugar as well as carbohydrates. Our carb on the other hand, is waxy maize hydroxypropyl distarch-phosphate, which provides literally hours and hours of energy; not only that, but helps the body use more triglycerides for energy, and helps reduce lactic acid. In other words, you’re getting three fuel sources with 3FU3L…because you need allthree to sustain your performance.If we’d stopped there (and we did, for awhile, during our formulation process), we’d still have a great fuel that would get us through any training. We ultimately decided to add Betaine. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll remember that you lose Betaine when you sweat, and it ultimately causes your body to produce less ATP, and therefore less energy. Supplementing with Betaine (*technically called Trimethylglycine) has been shown in numerous clinical studies to increase power, increase work capacity, enhance recovery, and allow test subjects to come back the next day and do it again.

Trust us, we’ve been there: we’ve taken 3FU3L on the road, with us on the bike, on the mat and on the field. It works or we wouldn’t be using it.

For further reading, take a look at the ingredients we use in our product.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

At 360fly, we create products and software for interactive, one-shot 360° panoramic video. Through a partnership with VOXX International the company will deliver a line of unique panoramic video cameras to market that virtually includes everyone...from the extreme sports enthusiast to parents shooting their children's birthday party. Our users will see and share video in a way that captivates and engages audiences like never before. Video is about to change.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

When I began the Kona Bike Count in 1992 there were over 200 bike brands represented in the race. There has been some consolidation at the top, because the barrier to entry is high. Used to be that an old mechanical Bridgeport mill, a gas torch and a headbadge was all you needed to be a bike maker. Not so now, when the great majority of new bikes pop out of molds, and a size run of molds costs tens of thousands.

But there is still a shipload of bike brands on that pier. Who won?

Five or six companies stand out in my mind. First, of course, Cervelo, with 496 bikes in the race – almost 1 in 4 – and it wasn't that long ago that Cervelo was thought by many retail stores washed up, the brand of the past. Obviously rumors of its demise were greatly exaggerated. In my opinion, one stat that holds up fairly well is:

incremental gains = (this year's total) - .75(last year's total)

The idea is to guess at incremental gains year-over-year. If Cervelo, the company, was wiped off the map, you'd still see a lot of bikes the subsequent year. How many? Historically, 75% of the prior year's total is not a bad number.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

This is great, another device to tell me I am not ridding correctly. Actually the Lazer Wasp Air is extremely helpful, Lazer has one of the few that will help a triathlete stick to the aero position. The Wasp Air is a nice looking helmet that also ticks all the important marks for a good aero helmet. And tucked into the tail is a special device that vibrates when the rider dips his head downward. It’s a gentle, but obvious, reminder to stick to the aero position.Read more at..

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

So I love Triathlons, I started doing Xterra events cause I was a XC mountain bike racer. Course of life changed and this was over 11 years ago, things changed again I got hooked and went into triathlons full force, sponsorship, podium finished, early mornings and epic swims, bikes and rides, not to mention the friends and conversations we had along the way.
Another change has has happened and I am back to XC Mountain biking, with triathlons in my blood. One thing that I noticed is how cool the Mountain Bike industry makes riding look, from their films, Gopro captures, gear, and of course racing. This started me thinking why has triathlons not made this transition, make the riding look cool, swims shots epic and gear, well cool.
I went for a ride at a place I had not ridden in 8 years, what I noticed was the parking lot was full, families were riding, people were conversing and generally everyone looked to be having fun. The ride started fast and I was transformed back 8 years ago to why I LOVE mountain biking. The setting and not having to be worried about getting run over, it has happened. No horns, middle fingers, crazy jesters, or stress. Just time to focus on what I love to do ride. Same goes with trail running, that is a topic for another day.
The triathlon series has to embrace the good, show the videos, great spots to do events, the events, parties, tents and families that spend countless hours watching loved ones compete.

Embrace and take note from another side of this sport. Tri's are cool, epic and the best thing you can do, now they just have to be shown that way.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Timex added the Ironman One GPS+ to it's line up. The big change is the separation from the smartphone. Now getting another contract can seem like a hassle, maybe they will let you add it to your existing plan, lets hope, ATT get the hint. Now I am not sure that the masses are going to flock to this watch but there a good amount 300,000+ triathletes that might see this as a welcome change. Who know check it out. TIMEX ONE GPS+

Friday, June 20, 2014

For the majority of all triathlons you will be swimming in open water. This is typically a source of anxiety and fear for many athletes as training for the open water is often limited. While not perfect, it is possible to prepare for race day in a pool? Here are some drills and games that you can do in the pool to be prepared.

Sighting

The first, and perhaps most obvious, thing you can do in the pool is to practice sighting. In a short course pool (25 yards or meters) pick your head up twice each lap and sight on something at the end of the pool. In a long course pool, sight at least five times per lap.

What’s most important here is that you don’t just go through the motions. Be sure you actually focus on what it is that you’re looking for. You can even have a lane mate at the end holding up fingers for you to read.

Swimming Straight

How often should you sight? Well, that depends on how straight you swim. When you’re in the pool, going fast is what gets you to the next wall more quickly. In open water, speed is not enough. It’s your velocity plus your trajectory that determine how quickly you get into T1. In a lane by yourself, push off the wall and swim with your eyes closed. Can you make it to the other end without hitting the laneline? (Make sure you know your stroke count so you can open your eyes before you get to the wall if you happen to make it all the way down the lane!) If not, how far can you go?

If you start in the middle of the lane and drift to one side by the other end, that’s not too bad, but you’re still off course about a meter over a length of 25 meters. If you’re consistent, that would work out to about 20 meters off course every 500 and then double that because you’ll have to swim back onto the course. So that might cost you 30 to 60 seconds every 500 meters. But what if you hit the lane line after only a few strokes? You might be costing yourself several minutes over 500 meters. The solution is sighting. If you can swim four strokes before veering off course, you should be sighting every four strokes. If you stay on course through 10 strokes, sight every 10.

Now put these two elements together. Swim with your eyes closed but open your eyes to sight every 4, 6, 10 strokes. Now can you make it down the lane in a straight line? You’re onto something important! Sighting may slow you down a bit, but it’ll keep you in a straight line—that makes for a faster swim split.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Deadspin featured a mostly fun but partly serious and thoroughly entertaining piece in exercise-induced cramping, prompted by LeBron James’s muscular malfunction during one of the recent NBA playoff games. The piece was called Everything You Know About Cramps Is Wrong, And Gatorade Is Full Of Shit. I admit a vicarious schadenfreudish peace washed over me as I read about a corporate titan brought low. (We had a 52-post thread on LeBron’s cramps.)

But in Gatorade’s defense, it’s caught in a bind. It cannot sell the perfect sports drink for exercise in convenience stores. That drink would not taste good enough to be sold at retail to those reaching for a sports drink to wash down Spicy Nacho Doritos (cornerstone of the lunch of champions – the formercornerstone, ideally).

Some months back I was rounding into pretty good running shape. Then, 4 miles into an 8 mile loop, my calf seized. And I mean exactly 4 miles in, so that I had to get back exactly 4 miles on that calf, which did the calf no good. I tried everything. Stretching. Walking. Waiting it out. That camp would not unseize. Further, for the next 6 weeks I was “crampy.” I cramped swimming. I cramped walking around the house. I woke up crampy. It was not just in my calf, I was crampy systemically.

Cramps are a mystery, and I can’t prove it but I suspect cramps are the proximate cause of a number of other injuries. I wonder whether a lot of trunk and torso related strains – high hamstring, psoas, hip flexors – might not occur because of a cramp during exercise that we play through, that spasm exerting extra tension on the connective tissue.

There are too many glib, single-etiology responses by those who think they have the answer to why we cramp. If you go on our reader forum cramping is caused by under-hydrating. No, it’s caused by over-hydrating. No, you cramped because you trained or raced beyond your capacity. No, cramping is mental.

How do we not cramp? “Train more, race smarter,” according to one Slowtwitcher. Compression gear. Salt tablets. Electrolyte replacement (no, not that brand, this brand!)

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

First, well done, you deserve the win. Second shame on all negative post. The interview from Slow Twitch,one thing that was not pointed out in the article is the age groupers that are doing this time and time again.

In the picture shown how many are drafting, 11 by my count, we all go to the briefing, but once on the course everyone forgets the rule. Many new comer to the sport are guilty of this, or are not sure what is legal or not, let me speak from experience, if you are thinking is this legal then it is. This is not your Sunday ride, some of us want to do well, stay to the right, if someone has caught you let them pass, they are faster than you, trust me if they caught you they are, move over. This sort of thing happens when a race course has two loops, most of the time you have no choice, you have lapped or caught the slower group, they are out just to complete, not podium, SO MOVE OVER. Sara a professional, keeps her cool, congrats, you deserve the win, stop hating and just see it for what it is a race, unless you fix the course problem and bad etiquette this will continue to be a RACE problem not a athlete problem. Get it right, train hard be one of the AG winners then through your stones, you won't.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Race sockless
Sliding socks over wet feet amid the chaos of transition takes time—more than you may expect. Going sockless can help get you onto the run course faster, but if race day is your first run without socks, the outcome will be predictable. You’ll need to build a tolerance in order to run comfortably without the protection of a sock.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Other than the freestyle pull, flutter kick is the most used skill in swimming. Some people kick well, other people kick poorly, but just about everyone kicks a little when they swim freestyle. While it sometimes takes a lot of thought to develop a good flutter kick, it's certainly worth the time.

Here is a small collection of five videos that all focus on the same thing... narrowing the flutter kick to a more usable level that can help make you a better swimmer.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Be careful out there. Whether we are more connected or pushing ourselves to hard, heart attacks seem to becoming more common. With a sport on the rise, more high profile athletes competing the news travels faster. Be careful, try to see the signs and above all else get regular check ups.

French ITU Pro Laurent Vidal is reported to have likely suffered from a heart attack during swim practice and was airlifted to a hospital in Montpellier.

According to the french newspaper Midi Libre Vidal was training at the Fonquerne Sète pool when he felt chest pain, exited the water and then sought out help from employees at the pool.

Firefighters were called and Vidal then experienced cardiac arrest. He was revived after a few minutes and regained consciousness.

He then was airlifted to the hospital.

"Thank you everyone for your kind words for Laurent. Your support means so much. Shocked and so worried! I am traveling to be by his side," tweeted Andrea Hewitt, the fiancee of Laurent Vidal.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Great article from Slow Twitch.Most folks know Dave Mirra because of his BMX Freestyle exploits and some people on this site might even own one of the video games that bear his name. He is also known for his Rallycross skills and a superb string of X-Games victories, but now Mirra is focused on triathlon, doing well and loving it. At last weekend's 70.3 Texas in Galveston Mirra finished in 4:23:57 with a 2:08:18 bike split and 1:33:03 run and grabbed 4th place in M40-44 and a spot for Mont Tremblant. FULL ARTICLE

Thursday, March 27, 2014

1. Short Hill Repetitions

The value in short hill repeats goes beyond just speed. You build muscular endurance, kinetic chain stability (a fancy way of saying the body is working efficiently from top to bottom which in turn leads to injury prevention) and stride efficiency. Beginner runners should start cautiously. While short, these repetitions are demanding.

The Details:

Find a hill that is at least 100 meters in length and relatively steep (approximately 6% grade). Run at a solid sprint, but not all out, up the hill for approximately 50-60 meters. Walk/light jog back to your starting point and repeat.

Note how long it takes you to complete the 50-60 meters. You want to be sure you are fully recovered after each repeat such that your times for each repeat are consistent. If they are not, take more recovery time.

I like to insert these repeats into the middle of an aerobic run day. For example, 20 minutes aerobic followed by hill repeats and finishing with 20 more minutes aerobic.

Insert these repeats once every week to every other week as your training allows building up to a max of 10-12 total repetitions. Start with 2-4 reps if you are a beginner.

For added strength, aim to also find hills that are steeper (I would not go steeper than 10% grade).

2. Lane 8 Progression Run

Progression runs certainly have tremendous physiological value but I also believe they are one of the best workouts for learning how to pace. If I had to pick one thing that is consistent across the board at races I attend it is the tendency for people to mismanage their pacing. Learning how to manage your pace will make you more aware of effort in short distance racing in addition to producing that attractive finishing time.

The Details:

Head to the track for this controlled run. Warm up well for 10-15 minutes followed by light stretching. Then run 2 laps where you stride out the straights and coast the curves.

Run 16 laps, 12 for beginners, in lane 8 on the track where you run EASY from the start line to the number 8 and at “pace” from the number 8 back to the start line. Yes, you are getting a tiny jog recovery each lap.

“Pace” is as follows – 4 laps at 10K pace/effort, 4 laps just a little faster (approx. 5 sec/mi), 4 laps a little faster yet (approx. 5 more sec/mi), 4 laps making each lap a little faster than the last.

Cool down well when done, 10-15 minutes.

This workout forces you to start moderate and build your pace. You spend a decent amount of time at each pace, giving you the opportunity to recognize what different efforts feel like.

3. Pyramid Strides

I love strides. Strides in every form do something good for your running- they require you to go fast! At the end of the day, if you have not asked your body to run paces/efforts faster than you have in the past you cannot expect your results to change. With strides you are able to create proprioceptive awareness to switch gears and tolerance to uncomfortable efforts in a manageable way.

The Details:

A pyramid stride is exactly as it implies, an effort where you build your pace and then ease off and can be easily inserted within or after a run. They are a great way to effectively generate speed in a safe way.

Start with pyramid strides lasting 90 seconds. The first 30 seconds you build to good speed/turnover thinking about light and quick feet. The second 30 seconds you hold this effort aiming to maintain good form. For the final 30 seconds gradually ease off from the stride effort, allowing your body to decrease speed gently. Rest is as needed.

Start with 4-6 strides after an easy run and build up to 8-10. Insert in the middle of a run to break up a pace rut.

As you get more comfortable with the strides try changing up the duration to either 1 minute or 2 minutes in length. 1 minute pyramids are hard due to the shorter time you have to build your pace. 2 minute pyramids are also challenging due to the length you have to hold your effort.

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Thursday, February 13, 2014

At first glance, biathlon looks like a sport invented by the X-Games brain trust to make two distinctly different, distinctly unexciting skill sets feel cooler. After all, cross-country skiing and target shooting boast roughly the same natural, symbiotic relationship as fishes and bicycles, and neither discipline features fast-and-furious action.

But as much as the sport might feel like a modern invention, it’s actually an old-school, no-nonsense affair. Norwegian art dating back more than 4,000 years depicts men hunting while on skis, and soldiers even skied into battle during 18th century conflicts such as the Great Scandinavian War. By the time biathlon was introduced as a medal event in the 1960 games in Squaw Valley, the sport had an established history, one decidedly low on bells and whistles.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

What a great site and visual representation of hundreds of workouts. Neila Rey has done an amazing job, visualizing no-weight workouts, meaning you can do this all in the comfort of you house with no gym equipment. Who ever illustrated the movements did a wonderful job and who ever came up with the names for some of the workouts did a great job.

Did I mention this is all free, you can donate and I would recommend doing so.

Individual no-equipment workouts are added almost every week. To keep things fresh, you can either pick one at random or use a filter at the bottom of the page to find a workout that will suit you more, depending on whether you would like to lose weight or/and define muscle tone. These are all tested routines, some of them are harder than others, some are themed and Sci-Fi inspired and some are more to the point. You have plenty of options you can choose from. Don't forget to read the manual.

Try not to stay with one routine for too long or your body will adjust and optimise to it and you’ll stop seeing results. I suggest you pick 3-4 different workouts per week and perhaps pick up a challenge to stay committed.

Challenges are designed to keep you accountable and help you stay motivated. Some of them have targets like getting to 50 push-ups in a month and others are there to help you supplement your training. If you don’t know where to start or you have never tried working out at home before, taking up a challenge is a good way to help your body adjust for daily exercise.

There are no rest days in my challenges, but some days are easier than others to compensate for that. I believe it is more important to stick to something continuously rather than take a break and then give up on the whole thing. Stay committed and just do what you can, rest times are guidelines only - you don’t have to kill yourself if you can’t go on any further, just keep on showing up every day. Unless specified otherwise, the amount of reps is per day and is a total, you don’t have to do everything in one go. That way you can work at your fitness level.

Programs are complete sets of daily routines. Currently I have 30 Days of Change [30DOC] and 90 Days of Action [90DOA] available for a free download. The main difference between the two is that the 30 Days of Change requires you do a lot of walking, jogging and running outside and the 90 Days of Action has all at-home cardio routines and challenges. So it depends on what kind of program you are looking for and what fits your lifestyle better, both will help you get in better shape and tone up, both come with cardio, strength and ab routines and have been thoroughly tested by me personally and by a group of volunteers. I also have a few running programs if it’s something you would like to try.

Tips & Motivation is a collection of practical posts to help you begin your journey and then stay on track. Since I am not looking for clicks and I am not selling ads on this website, I only post material I myself find useful and worth reading.

Nutrition is the edible extension of the tips and motivation section. That’s where I post all of the nutrition and healthy eating tips.

Recipessection is the newest addition to the website. When you train you don’t have the time or the energy to cook and you end up with all the wrong things on your plate. So my goal is to test and come up with the best healthy, quick and easy, but affordable recipes that anyone can do. I only post recipes I myself make on a regular basis and I would recommend to my friends.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Now most still wear ear buds while training, not sure why but if you are going to get a Zipi! it helps you take the buds out of your ears and have them dangle around your neck, reach down and there they are. Zipi makes your earbuds simply disappear into the background when they are not needed. Zipi is an earbud strap that connects behind your neck using magnets.
Zipi uses neodymium magnets, the strongest magnets on the market. Zipi comes in translucent white, yellow, aqua, hot pink and black. Zipi KickStarter Campaign

Thursday, January 16, 2014

We try and try, looking for healthy food, or food that we think is healthy, only to find out it is not, to a point. Check this list out! Really, the problem with sugar is that it just makes you crave more sugar. When sugar enters your body, it causes the chemical serotonin to be released, which triggers your brain’s reward center and makes you feel more relaxed. That’s fine; the problem is that constantly eating too much sugar dulls this feel-good response so it takes larger amounts of sugar to get there — meaning the more you eat, the more you need. Full List

Turns out, fruit-flavored yogurts are sweetened with more than just fruit. Shapiro’s thoughts: “I’m not a fan of the fruit-flavored yogurts, because they do have a ton of added sugar. Yogurt has naturally occurring sugar from the lactose, so that added sugar is just extra.” A better bet is eating unsweetened yogurt with fresh fruit on top. Stephanie Middleberg, M.S., R.D., C.D.N. of Middleberg Nutrition, agrees: “If you’re adding sugar, you really only should be having a teaspoon at a time.” That’s far more than the 7 teaspoons of sugar in Chobani’s Black Cherry Blended yogurt.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Being shocked is rare today, but having this type of machine out and about is again, simply Brilliant! What else can you say, set up these around any small town and I am sure it would be a big hit.

Bikestock seeks to empower people to ride their bikes. When we ride we feel alive, fulfilled and engaged in our communities and know others feel the same way. To that end we are dedicated to addressing the obstacles of riding and making it easy to solve minor emergencies any time of day.
Bikestock provides support for urban cyclists through a network of vending machines, toolkits, and branded cycling products. By making self-service bike repair available around the clock, Bikestock aims to encourage more people to ride their bicycles. Bikestock locations fill in critical gaps in traditional bike shops business hours, while enhancing existing infrastructure.
Cyclists have become a permanent and prominent feature of New York City roads. 200,000 people now ride daily on over 250 miles of bike lanes. Don’t let complications like flat tires or unanticipated rainstorms keep you from riding. Bikestock’s network of conveniently placed machines and toolkits will put essential products and tools within reach of cyclists.BikeStock